would be! How to make life even more exciting! He was a very innovative lover and she was under no illusion that life after Zane would be anything but very empty and mundane.
All the more reason to make the most of what she had now, Lucinda kept telling herself whenever any faint doubts crept into her mind.
When Zane had first taken her out on his yacht she had been extremely impressed. He had proudly told her that at sixty-four feet long and weighing twenty-eight tonnes it was the top of its range. The decks were teak and extremely spacious, the cockpit vast, and below, besides four double berths, was a saloon with sumptuous white leather seating. And the galley was to die for. ‘Not that I do any cooking myself,’ he had explained when she had gone into raptures. ‘I have two crew members who do everything. It’s used mainly for corporate entertaining, but I thought it might be fun to bring it out here and make use of it.’
And they had certainly done that!
And today they were out on it again.
‘I thought,’ said Zane, as they sunbathed on one of the decks, ‘that we might stay out for the night. Have you ever been on the water at night with no land in sight? Where a canopy of stars is your whole world? It’s a truly remarkable experience. Will you share it with me?’
What could she say except yes? Lucinda nodded happily. ‘It sounds perfect. I didn’t realise that you were so poetic.’
‘There’s a lot about me you don’t know.’ His voice was soft and low, almost a rumble. It was incredibly sexy and sent a tremor through her veins. Everything about this man was sexy. Even when they weren’t making love he kept her in a state of suspended readiness. One look in his eyes and she could see what he was thinking and her body would surge into life. She even felt disappointed when nothing happened. But when it did—then the whole world rocked on its axis.
Tonight, she knew, was going to be very special. A night to be locked away in the memories of her mind for ever.
‘Do you mind that I’m not getting any work done?’ she asked him idly while he was smoothing sun oil on to her back.
‘Would I have brought you out here today if I did?’ he countered. ‘Would I have taken up so much of your time?’ he asked softly, his fingers kneading her back in a way that he knew melted her senses.
‘I guess not,’ she said, wriggling uncontrollably. ‘You’re paying whether I work or not. But you do realise that your bill will go up for all the time I spend away?’
She had said it half jokingly but when Zane said, ‘So long as I get what I want you’ll get what you want,’ it reminded her very clearly that this was but a game to him. Once home, her job done, she would be completely forgotten.
It made her feel very sad. It also made her feel that she was giving her body to him for his selfish pleasure. But then Zane nuzzled her neck and cupped one of her breasts possessively and all was forgotten except the heady excitement of being with him.
Before lunch they went swimming, diving into the clear waters of the Caribbean and playing like porpoises. And after their light meal, consisting mainly of fruit and fish prepared by one of his very expert crew, they lay down in their cabin for a siesta. At least that was the plan. The heat outside was unbearable, but here in the air-conditioned interior sleep didn’t seem so important.
‘I would never have believed,’ said Lucinda dreamily as she lay at Zane’s side in the superbly fitted master bedroom, ‘that you could take so much time off work. I always thought that you were a real workaholic.’
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve never met a woman as beautiful as you,’ he answered. She lay in his arms, still in the camisole and Indian skirt that she had donned for their lunch. And his fingers stroked wherever the fancy took him. ‘A woman who takes my mind off all other things! You’re a siren in disguise, Lucinda. Do you know that?’
A siren! No one had ever called her that before. Didn’t it mean a dangerously fascinating and sexy woman? Was that what she was to him? The thought pleased her. ‘Am I the most captivating woman you’ve ever met?’ It was a leading question and one that she wasn’t sure she ought to have asked. She waited for his answer with bated breath.
He smiled slowly. ‘Captivating? You’re certainly that. And, what’s more, Lucinda, I’m thoroughly enjoying our time here. Are you?’
She swallowed hard and nodded. ‘It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.’ One part of her hoped that he would say the same, even that she was beginning to mean something to him. Instead he pulled her closer, lifting her skirt and seeking that private place that he had made his own.
All too soon her misgivings faded and she was lost in their lovemaking. And afterwards, while the yacht sailed on when they were both fully sated, they drifted into sleep.
Zane woke with the knowledge that something was wrong. He hadn’t felt well all morning, but had thought it was nothing more than an over-indulgence of food and drink. But his headache had got worse and he felt as though he were burning up.
Lucinda still lay at his side and when he touched her forehead her skin felt quite cool. So it wasn’t the air-conditioning that had failed. He really was ill.
Feeling him move, Lucinda opened her eyes and then did a double-take. ‘Are you all right, Zane? You look very flushed.’
‘It’s nothing,’ he said, unwilling to tell her how he felt. How manly was it to become ill when he had promised her a romantic trip? When he wanted to give her the best time of her life? This sort of thing never happened to him. He was always in control, always in command of every situation. And he had been of this one—until now!
He had been enjoying his education of Lucinda. Although she had never said anything, he was aware that he had taught her lots of new and wonderful things. And she had responded in a way far beyond his wildest dreams. She was a woman to surpass all women where making love was concerned and he would be sorry when it ended. As of course it must. Lucinda Oliver was not for him. No woman was. Not long-term. Of that he was very sure.
‘It looks more than nothing to me. How do you feel?’
He swallowed with difficulty. ‘I have a raging headache and I’m burning up. Probably sunstroke. But it won’t last. I feel all right.’
‘But you’ve always been careful!’ exclaimed Lucinda. ‘We both have. If it’s sunstroke, though, it could be serious. I’ll ask Fabian to head back to shore. You need to see a doctor.’
‘I don’t want to spoil your day,’ he said, struggling to his feet, feeling extremely mortified when dizziness forced him back down on the bed. ‘Maybe you’re right,’ he agreed reluctantly. ‘But let’s get a doctor out here. I don’t want you to miss out on your star-spangled night.’ Except that he wouldn’t be able to share it with her in quite the way he had imagined!
‘And I don’t want you to be a martyr,’ she retorted crossly. ‘What is it with men that they won’t admit defeat?’
He managed a smile. ‘It’s not good for our image.’ Especially in front of a woman he was trying to impress. No sooner had the thought entered his head than he asked himself whether it was true. Was he trying to impress Lucinda with his sexual prowess, with his private yacht and his Caribbean villa? And, if so, why?
In point of fact she gave the impression
